Topeka resident Sara Wood has always been a crafts person. Although she has enjoyed scrapbooking and creating stained glass pieces in the past, she believes she now has found her niche: a military-themed jewelry business called Army Charming.

Wood, a multimedia sales assistant at The Topeka Capital-Journal, started making jewelry about five years ago and soon gravitated toward necklaces, bracelets, brooches and other pieces that combine antique, vintage and new materials with military emblems.

“This is where my heart is,” she said. “It’s a way to honor (service members) or help their family members to honor them.”

Wood, who grew up in Butte, Mont., moved to Topeka about two years ago with her husband, David, an Army soldier stationed at Fort Leavenworth. Her husband also has been stationed at Fort Riley, and their children were born at Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center.

“So we thought we would make this our retirement home,” she said.

Wood said the idea for Army Charming came about, in part, because she noticed the awards, ribbons and medals on her husband’s uniform and wondered why they were worn only at the post.

She also thought about the number of people who don’t know how the emblems tie into a service member’s life.

Many times, she said, the ribbons and medals end up in a shoebox and are forgotten about until a family member finds them years later.

Wood thought why not incorporate the emblem into a jewelry piece that would honor the recipient and, when worn by a military spouse, mother or daughter, serve as a potential conversation starter about their loved one.

“It would be a nice way to mark their family’s place in American history, and something to be honored and cherished,” she said. “My goal is for the jewelry to be a family heirloom passed on for generations.”

Wood said she works on several jewelry pieces at one time. Yet, each item is one-of-a-kind. So far, she has created about 200 custom-made jewelry pieces.

“When people get what I do and they understand the sentiment behind it, it’s very rewarding,” she said.

Prices range from $15 for a simple locket or button necklace to $75 for a customized necklace.